Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


Governor Gretchen Whitmer delivered her seventh State of the State address in front of a joint session of the Michigan Legislature on Wednesday night.

The governor laid out plans to continue building on the accomplishments of her first six years in office – with proposals focusing on creating jobs, lowering costs, and continuing record investments in education among others.
 
Witmer commented “In 2025, I’m excited to keep working across the aisle to lower costs, create jobs, and continue delivering results that make a real difference in people’s lives. Right now, families and businesses are facing high costs and uncertainty from tariffs and our national politics are divided. Michiganders are tired of the games and want strong, bipartisan leadership. Let's lead by example and show the rest of the country how to get things done.” 
  
Whitmer stated that Michigan families and businesses are facing high costs on the essentials right now. She said “President Trump's proposed 25% tariffs on our closest trading partners would slow down the construction of homes and factories, lead to thousands of layoffs on the auto assembly line, and jack up costs for families by an average of $1,200 a year as companies pass their costs on to consumers”. Whitmer stressed she’ll work with anyone to protect Michigan’s economy against policies that would raise prices and cut jobs.

The governor also highlighted investments she’s proposed in her budget to cut taxes for seniors and working families, build more housing to lower rents and mortgages, expand assistance on energy bills, and expand quality, affordable child care for working parents.

Whitmer stressed she wants to make it as easy as possible for every Michigander to get the skills or education they need to get a good-paying jobs so they can earn more money and protect and provide for themselves and their families.

Another focus of the speech was taking action to cut red tape, streamline government, and make state government more effective, efficient, and responsive. It was stated inefficient permitting and licensing slows down construction and leads to fewer jobs and higher prices. The Governor called for bipartisan collaboration on permitting and licensing including eliminating duplicative exams, honoring out of state trade licensing, giving entrepreneurs more flexibility, and more.

Whitmer stated that historic investments have been made in education but more must be done to improve academic outcomes. She highlighted budget investments to tackle literacy and increase transparency so parents can see how their schools are performing.

Whitmer went on to say that cellphones are negatively impacting mental health, physical safety, and academic performance and called for bipartisan collaboration to limit phones in classrooms. Whitmer commented “Our educators get it. It’s hard to teach geography or geometry when you’re competing against memes or DMs. Other states—red and blue—have taken action. So has most of Europe and Canada. I understand the need to be connected to your child. But we can do better. This year, let’s pass bipartisan legislation to limit the use of phones in class.”

The governor also tackled the topic of vapes, saying almost 14% of high schoolers use vapes. She proposed closing a longstanding loophole and taxing vapes similar to how cigarettes are taxed to help protect kids.


Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel released the following statement after the speech:

“As Governor Whitmer highlighted tonight, Michigan has always been an example to the rest of the country on how to get things done. In the last two years under Democratic leadership, Michigan Democrats have put money back into working families’ pockets with free school breakfasts and lunches, expanded tax credits for the middle class, high-paying auto manufacturing jobs, and so much more — but the work’s not done yet. In the next two years, Democrats are fighting to build more affordable housing, create more jobs, and lower costs on the things Michiganders need: food, utilities, and health care. No matter what the future brings, Democrats will never stop working to build a brighter future for Michiganders where working families never have to choose between paying rent and putting food on the table.”


Michigan Republican Party Chairman Jim Runestad issued the following:

“In 2017, the budget for the state of Michigan was about $56 billion. After nearly seven years of Governor Whitmer’s leadership, her budget has now ballooned to over $80 billion. This exponential growth represents massive expansions of the state government. More bureaucrats hired to come after honest tax payers, more taxes to pay for those bureaucrats, and more wasteful government programs that are more focused on DEI than the common sense governmental functions that Michiganders want. Last November, Michigan voters sent a clear message to Lansing politicians; they want a government that works for them, not against them. Gov. Whitmer needs to cut the pork, cut the extreme left wing policies, and cut Michigan taxes. The 2026 elections are right around the corner, and the Michigan GOP will work nonstop to ensure that Republicans take control of the state government and get Michigan back on the right track. We will Make Michigan Great Again.”


A link to access the full speech is provided.